PROLOGUETop of the World
The sky had opened up like the angels were weeping, and the downpour was relentless as water bounced upward from the force of hitting the sidewalk. I was caught outside of Beverly’s Diner in a pencil skirt and silk blouse with my heels in my hand. Everything that could have gone wrong today had. As the door pushed open before me, my eyes caught sight of him. His hair was dark and unkempt, the stubble on his jaw a few days old. His smile was enough to cause me to pause, blinking back drops that clung to my lashes. Then he laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile back as I pushed my dark, wet hair from my face and hurried inside out of the weather.
But what I didn’t realize that day, was that I wasn’t escaping the rain, I was being sucked in by the undertow of him; a force so strong that I didn’t have a chance to break free. I’d be lying if I said I tried. From the moment he smiled, I wanted to jump off the deep end and be consumed by him.
step 1 of 12: I was powerless against you.
“Out for a swim?” The corner of the man’s mouth quirked up in a grin as he held a steaming cup of coffee inches from his mouth. The marker scrawled across the side read Owen.
“Does it always rain like that around here?” I asked, slipping on my heels.
“You’re not from Southside?” he asked, leaning forward and sitting his mug on the table, his eyebrow raised. He was so beautiful I had to avoid his gaze as if staring directly at him would blind me.
“Do I lose points if I say no?” I asked, a shiver running through my body as the air conditioning kicked on.
He shrugged, his eyes looking around the crowded diner. “Who am I to judge?” His gaze dropped to the chair in front of me, inviting me to sit.
“May I?” I pulled it out and sank down on the seat, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze.
“Here,” he shrugged off his jacket and held it out to me. I tried to wave it away, but he insisted. “Take it. You could use it more than me. I’m –”
“No, wait. I’m really good at this. Ohhh… Owen? Right?”
“How did you –” He glanced down at his cup before laughing. “Nice trick. Owen Lockwood.”
I smiled, pulling on his coat and tucking my damp hair behind my ears. “Alice Trevors.” I cleared my throat nervously as someone bumped into the back of my chair.
“Alice,” he repeated with a hint of amusement in his voice. I made a face, and he laughed, pushing his cup of coffee across the table. “Here. Cream and two sugars. None of that fancy pumpkin shit. We don’t drink that on the Southside,” he teased, winking and running his tongue across his lower lip.
“Duly noted.” I took a small sip, grateful for the warmth and the kindness. “Why did you laugh at my name?”
Rubbing his hand against the back of his head before leaning forward and drumming his thumbs against the table. “It rhymes with phallus.”
A cackle ripped from my throat and several turned around to glare at me. “You’re not very nice. Is that a Southside thing too or is that just you?”
He shrugged, taking his drink and leaning back in his seat, slowly taking a sip. “It’s a curse. I’m a musician. My mind is always trying to make lyrics.”
“I think you have a hit on your hands.”
“Oh yeah?” He winked, and warmth spread from my belly throughout my body. “You wanna get out of here? Go for a walk?”
I pointed to the large windows that lined the front of the shop. “It’s pouring out. It’s practically biblical.”
“Are you afraid you’ll melt?”
“We’ll get pneumonia.”
“The best time to go out is when it rains.”
“Why?”
“Because the street can be completely crowded, but the water makes you feel isolated like you’re all alone.”
“What if I don’t want to be alone?”
“You won’t be.”
I looked at him now, really looked at him and I felt like I was melting into the floor. It shouldn’t be legal for someone to look as good as him.
“What have you got to lose?” He pushed from his seat as he picked up his drink and waited.
I looked at the door again before I stood and followed him out into the downpour.
We laughed as he grabbed my hand and tugged me behind him, running across the street and onto the sidewalk. It felt like one of those moments in a movie. Time slowed, electricity pulsed from where our hands joined.
I fell.
I fell hard. For Owen…, to my knees, as we laughed in the middle of a busy city, but lost in our own world.
“You’re crazy,” I managed to huff out, my stomach aching as he pulled me to my feet as if I weighed nothing at all.
He pushed my wet hair from my face, his fingertips ghosting along my jaw. I felt his touch all the way to my toes.
“You’re high,” he whispered, his breath fanning across my lips.
His words didn’t register immediately. I was too busy watching the tip of his tongue as it peeked out between his lips before they twisted up into a wicked grin. “I like my coffee… strong.” Deep dimples settled into his cheeks as I glanced up at those green eyes, the color of grass on a hot summer day. That’s when I noticed his pinpoint pupils.
He raised the cup between us and I looked down at the white plastic lid on top, a waft of steam escaping the mouth hole.
“Cream and two sugars,” he whispered as he raised it to my mouth. My lips covered the opening, and I swallowed another sip of the thick liquid laced with something before he dropped the cup to the ground between us. The warm drink splattered up my legs as his hands slid into my hair and he pulled my mouth to his. I whimpered, my lips parting for him.
I understood why the angels wept. They wanted him back. But he was mine now, and I wasn’t going to hand him over. Not just yet.
The sky had opened up like the angels were weeping, and the downpour was relentless as water bounced upward from the force of hitting the sidewalk. I was caught outside of Beverly’s Diner in a pencil skirt and silk blouse with my heels in my hand. Everything that could have gone wrong today had. As the door pushed open before me, my eyes caught sight of him. His hair was dark and unkempt, the stubble on his jaw a few days old. His smile was enough to cause me to pause, blinking back drops that clung to my lashes. Then he laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile back as I pushed my dark, wet hair from my face and hurried inside out of the weather.
But what I didn’t realize that day, was that I wasn’t escaping the rain, I was being sucked in by the undertow of him; a force so strong that I didn’t have a chance to break free. I’d be lying if I said I tried. From the moment he smiled, I wanted to jump off the deep end and be consumed by him.
step 1 of 12: I was powerless against you.
“Out for a swim?” The corner of the man’s mouth quirked up in a grin as he held a steaming cup of coffee inches from his mouth. The marker scrawled across the side read Owen.
“Does it always rain like that around here?” I asked, slipping on my heels.
“You’re not from Southside?” he asked, leaning forward and sitting his mug on the table, his eyebrow raised. He was so beautiful I had to avoid his gaze as if staring directly at him would blind me.
“Do I lose points if I say no?” I asked, a shiver running through my body as the air conditioning kicked on.
He shrugged, his eyes looking around the crowded diner. “Who am I to judge?” His gaze dropped to the chair in front of me, inviting me to sit.
“May I?” I pulled it out and sank down on the seat, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze.
“Here,” he shrugged off his jacket and held it out to me. I tried to wave it away, but he insisted. “Take it. You could use it more than me. I’m –”
“No, wait. I’m really good at this. Ohhh… Owen? Right?”
“How did you –” He glanced down at his cup before laughing. “Nice trick. Owen Lockwood.”
I smiled, pulling on his coat and tucking my damp hair behind my ears. “Alice Trevors.” I cleared my throat nervously as someone bumped into the back of my chair.
“Alice,” he repeated with a hint of amusement in his voice. I made a face, and he laughed, pushing his cup of coffee across the table. “Here. Cream and two sugars. None of that fancy pumpkin shit. We don’t drink that on the Southside,” he teased, winking and running his tongue across his lower lip.
“Duly noted.” I took a small sip, grateful for the warmth and the kindness. “Why did you laugh at my name?”
Rubbing his hand against the back of his head before leaning forward and drumming his thumbs against the table. “It rhymes with phallus.”
A cackle ripped from my throat and several turned around to glare at me. “You’re not very nice. Is that a Southside thing too or is that just you?”
He shrugged, taking his drink and leaning back in his seat, slowly taking a sip. “It’s a curse. I’m a musician. My mind is always trying to make lyrics.”
“I think you have a hit on your hands.”
“Oh yeah?” He winked, and warmth spread from my belly throughout my body. “You wanna get out of here? Go for a walk?”
I pointed to the large windows that lined the front of the shop. “It’s pouring out. It’s practically biblical.”
“Are you afraid you’ll melt?”
“We’ll get pneumonia.”
“The best time to go out is when it rains.”
“Why?”
“Because the street can be completely crowded, but the water makes you feel isolated like you’re all alone.”
“What if I don’t want to be alone?”
“You won’t be.”
I looked at him now, really looked at him and I felt like I was melting into the floor. It shouldn’t be legal for someone to look as good as him.
“What have you got to lose?” He pushed from his seat as he picked up his drink and waited.
I looked at the door again before I stood and followed him out into the downpour.
We laughed as he grabbed my hand and tugged me behind him, running across the street and onto the sidewalk. It felt like one of those moments in a movie. Time slowed, electricity pulsed from where our hands joined.
I fell.
I fell hard. For Owen…, to my knees, as we laughed in the middle of a busy city, but lost in our own world.
“You’re crazy,” I managed to huff out, my stomach aching as he pulled me to my feet as if I weighed nothing at all.
He pushed my wet hair from my face, his fingertips ghosting along my jaw. I felt his touch all the way to my toes.
“You’re high,” he whispered, his breath fanning across my lips.
His words didn’t register immediately. I was too busy watching the tip of his tongue as it peeked out between his lips before they twisted up into a wicked grin. “I like my coffee… strong.” Deep dimples settled into his cheeks as I glanced up at those green eyes, the color of grass on a hot summer day. That’s when I noticed his pinpoint pupils.
He raised the cup between us and I looked down at the white plastic lid on top, a waft of steam escaping the mouth hole.
“Cream and two sugars,” he whispered as he raised it to my mouth. My lips covered the opening, and I swallowed another sip of the thick liquid laced with something before he dropped the cup to the ground between us. The warm drink splattered up my legs as his hands slid into my hair and he pulled my mouth to his. I whimpered, my lips parting for him.
I understood why the angels wept. They wanted him back. But he was mine now, and I wasn’t going to hand him over. Not just yet.
